Throughout its 4,000-year history, Korea has created a vibrant and unique culture. Unfortunately, many believe it developed solely due to China's influence, thus leaving no room for an independent history and culture. This is simply wrong. The New History of Korean Civilization explores the existence of a distinctive Korean culture established by the Korean people and separate from its Chinese and Japanese counterparts. Author Chai-Shin Yu, distinguished professor of Korean studies, surveys the history of cultural life in Korea and provides a detailed account of this country's remarkable heritage. From the prehistoric age through the rise of the Chosen Dynasty and up to the creation of the Republic of Korea, this concise history traces the development of history, politics, philosophy, religion, literature, and art. Chai-Shin Yu shows how Korean culture also played a vital role in the formation of Japanese culture. Written for the purpose of introducing the roots of Korean culture to Westerners and second-generation Koreans living in the West, The New History of Korean Civilization is a bold addition to the historiography of Korea.

The New History of Korean Civilization

By Chai-Shin Yu

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Chai-Shin Yu
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-5559-3

Contents

Preface...................................................................................viiIntroduction..............................................................................xiChapter I. Prehistoric Culture of Korea...................................................11 Paleolithic Age Cultures of Korea.......................................................12 The Korean Neolithic Period.............................................................53 The Korean Bronze Age and the Chiefdom Society..........................................84 Transformation of the Ancient Society...................................................15Chapter II. Ancient Society...............................................................251 Political Developments..................................................................252 Society and Economy during the Ancient Period...........................................333 The Development of Three Kingdoms Culture...............................................41Chapter III. The Middle Ages of Korea.....................................................631 The Development of the Koryo Dynasty....................................................632 The Economy and Society of the Koryo Dynasty............................................783 The Culture of the Koryo Dynasty........................................................90Chapter IV. The Beginnings of Early Modern Society........................................1241 The Rise of the Choson Dynasty..........................................................1242 Society and Economy in the Early Choson.................................................1333 Philosophy and Culture in the Early Choson Dynasty......................................1414 Literature and Art in Early Chosón Dynasty.........................................1505 Foreign Relations in the Early Choson Period............................................154Chapter V. Late Choson Society............................................................1631 Politics and Economics in the Late Choson...............................................1634 The Collapse of the Governing System and Opposition From the People.....................1845 The Acceptance of Catholicism and the Establishment of Tonghak..........................187Chapter VI. Beginnings of Modern Society..................................................1911 The Establishment of Modern Society.....................................................1912 The Period of National Independence Movements...........................................225Chapter VII. The Development of Modern Society............................................2451 The Foundation of the Republic of Korea and the National Division.......................245Glossary..................................................................................265Index.....................................................................................275Photos....................................................................................281

Chapter One

Prehistoric Culture of Korea

1. Paleolithic Age Cultures of Korea

• The Remains of Paleolithic Age Cultures

Archaeological evidence suggests that humans began living in an area encompassing the Korean Peninsula and Northeastern Manchuria hundreds of thousands of years ago. Prior to the early 1960s the presence of humans in this region before the Neolithic, or New Stone Age, was not generally accepted. The discovery, since then, of many Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) remains has confirmed the existence of Paleolithic cultures in this region.

The excavation of Korean Paleolithic remains began in earnest the 1960s. The excavations at Kulpo-ri in Unggi and Sokchang-ni in Kongju in 1964 confirmed the existence of Paleolithic cultures on the Korean Peninsula. More than fifty Paleolithic sites have since been excavated in Korea, including the Black Anvil Cave site and the Chngchngam Cave site.

The Paleolithic Age is divided into three eras: the Upper (over 100,000 years ago), the Middle (100-50,000 years ago) and the Lower (50-10,000 years ago)with the above sites suggesting that humans or hominids were already present on the Korean Peninsula by the early Paleolithic.

The Sokchang-ni site and the Black Anvil Cave site, which date from the Upper Paleolithic, contain some of the oldest materials found in Korea. The Chonggong-ni site is the first site in Asia where a hand-axe of the European Acheulian type was found and a vast array of Paleolithic materials have been found throughout 'Old Choson,' in which region is included both the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria. The Paleolithic inhabitants of Manchuria are thought to be very closely related to the people living within the Korean Peninsula. Further comparative research on this subject is needed.

• Paleolithic People and Their Habitat

Base on archeological evidence, it is clear that hominids were living on the Korean Peninsula more than a hundred-thousand years ago, and that they continued to live in the region throughout the Paleolithic period. It is not certain, however, whether the Korean people of today are descendants of the Paleolithic inhabitants of the peninsula.

During the ice ages, the peninsula went through four freezing and three melting stages, with each state bringing extreme changes to the coastline, and at times there were land-bridges between China, Korea, and Japan, easing migration between these regions. These climatic changes forced the migration of both humans and animals. During the freezing stages northern animals and plants would migrate south, and during the melting stages southern life-forms would migrate north. Many scholars hypothesize that the extreme climate changes that occurred during the ice ages would have repeatedly forced the Paleolithic inhabitants of the region to migrate to other regions in search of food. This supports the "Discontinuity Theory," which argues that the Paleolithic inhabitants of the region have little or no connection to the current inhabitants. In contrast, the "Continuity Theory" presents the argument that the Paleolithic inhabitants are directly connected to both the Neolithic and contemporary Korean people. New DNA studies suggest that the actual ancestors of the Korean people may possibly be connected to those that lived in the region during the Late Paleolithic.

Based on skulls found at various cave sites it is also known that the Early Paleolithic inhabitants of the Korean Peninsula had large brow ridges and long jaws. When these skulls are compared to the present day Korean people it is difficult to find a connection due to the differences in tooth structure and the lower jaw bone, and the present day people's lack of a brow ridge.

• Paleolithic Arts and Religion

Artistic remains from the Paleolithic period have been found at the site of Sokchangni, in the city of Gongjoo, South Korea. At the front of the dig stand stone images in the likeness of dogs, whales and mountain pigs. There are also sculptures carved into cobblestones depicting humans, birds and deer. These sculptures reflect not only the simplicity of Paleolithic art but also the religious meaning of life in the Paleolithic period. Both two-and three-dimensional figures appear to depict hunting and other daily activities, and include incantations soliciting a prosperous hunt. The incantations...